Personal Bests

A Look Back.

Hard to believe another week has gone by and it’s already time for another update!

How Big is the Baby?

Still focusing on length these days, and now our little boy is as long as a CARROT!

My online sources tell me that he is now around 10.5 inches long, and weights 3/4 of a pound! That sounds so big to me, even though I know he still has a looooong way to go.

By now the baby is fully developed, and he pretty much just needs to hang out and grow!

How I’m Changing

As expected, my stomach continues to get bigger!

It’s crazy to me that I wrote about struggling with pregnancy body changes just a few short weeks ago. Now at week 21, I’m loving the changes more and more each day. My arms and legs are still strong, and being back in the gym has made me feel confident and healthy again.

How I’m Feeling

Honestly? I feel amazing! Of course I have my moments where I am cranky or emotional, but who doesn’t? There are days where I feel so normal and active now that I honestly forget I am pregnant from time to time.

Not that it’s not something I think about all.the.time, but I’m much less focused on how different my body feels now than I was a few months ago. Funny that when I still looked like my old self and was barely showing, I felt like a totally different person. Now, despite this bigger-every-day belly, I feel like my old self again.

One change I have noticed this week more than others is that I feel like I literally cannot drink enough water. I am guzzling it all day long, and yet still feel thirsty all the time! I’m wondering if this might be tied to the thyroid medication that I am taking now, and I’m planning to ask about this at my next doctor’s appointment. The increase in thirst probably also explains the other gross side effect I have noticed this week!

Odds and Ends

I bought a bunch of maternity clothes at Target, Gap, and Old Navy this weekend and now I finally feel like I have a nice selection to choose from so that I can comfortably get dressed these days. Embracing maternity clothes has made a HUGE difference in how I feel both emotionally and physically. Now instead of trying to cram my bump into all my old clothes, I can celebrate it with clothes that are meant to do just that!

Also this past weekend, our nursery furniture arrived! It is really just sitting unassembled in the space for now, so there’s nothing really to show you yet. I am still trying to decide how I want to decorate the nursery, and am getting so antsy to get it all set up and looking cute.

I know that many of my friends who were pregnant held off on maternity clothes for a while, but felt the same way when they finally got some: like a million bucks!! Glad you took the leap, I’m sure you’ll feel much more comfy throughout the rest!!

I’m would bet good money that you’re feeling better because you’re back in the gym, and not feeling the “morning” sickness anymore. :)

So happy to read things are going well for you! I’ve been a reader of yours for about a year, and while you’ve inspired me to make some personal changes of my own, I’m sure you’re glad to be settling into a Seattle routine.

O’m'gosh, it looks like you got so much bigger since last week. I’m glad to hear that you’re feeling great and that you’re enjoying this time. And I’m extra glad to hear you talk so happily about maternity clothes, because I feel like so few women want to wear them these days. Instead they cram and lament their growing stomachs and eventually resort to track suits. So it’s great to hear a woman be so enthusiastic about embracing and flattering the BEAUTIFUL pregnant body.

I would imagine that I’d feel the exact same way. It’s probably so awkward in the beginning, especially waiting to actually look preggo and not just like you’ve put on some weight. I’m so glad that you’re feeling much better and have your appetite back. You sound so happy and look radiant!!

Glad that everything is going well. I would bet it’s funny to go back and read your older pregnancy posts, when you were dealing with feeling gross and unwell so often. Now it sounds like it’s great. :)

I feel like week 20-21 is like the turning point for a lot of pregnant women. It’s when you actually “look” pregnant (but not tooo pregnant) and start fitting into cute maternity clothes. You look amazing!

Oh my gosh — isn’t it so crazy how big your little guy is?! It’s amazing to imagine him inside you sleeping, like an x-ray! Wait that sounds so weird..but that is exactly what I would do if I were preggo!

You look so amazing as a pregnant lady! :) It’s really becoming quite the cute bump!

I’d love for you to write a post about how Casey is finding the pregnancy, I’d love to know from a man’s perspective how he feels seeing a little bump develop, knowing that his little baby is right there.

You look so strong, healthy, happy and beautiful! Sounds like you feel that way too :) So glad you’re at peace with where you’re at, and rolling with the changes like a pro. What an inspiration you are!

I really enjoy hearing about your pregnancy journey, even though I don’t have any children. I initially started reading this blog for recipes, but I really look forward to the baby updates.
I stumbled across another blog you might like, http://www.selfrighteousparent.com/
The woman who writes in also lives in the Pacific Northwest, so I thought you might find it interesting. Keep the updates coming!

Hey Emily! I’m sure you are not looking for pregnancy advice but I had a thought about the dry hair. Just wondering if you’ve thought about increasing your fat intake? Fat is an very important component in brain development. It’s possible you are not getting enough so the baby is getting it wherever it can. Just a thought. It’s worth a try! Congrats and best wishes!

You look amazing! You should do some pregnancy modeling.
I didn’t know that about the dry hair, thanks for the info.
Hopefully I will join the preggo club again in August or September :-)
Love your posts….